At Last
by Bladefanatic
Summary: It took years for John and Elizabeth to finally be together. AU, based on two Bollywood movies Babbul and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. No need to know these movies to read fic.
1. Chapter 1

She stood impervious to the chill around her. Nothing, not even the dark sky that swirled above her, could compete with the coldness in her heart. Today her love was being put to rest, and as she watched the casket being lowered Elizabeth Mitchell finally had to admit to herself that Cam was gone. Throughout his battle with cancer, Elizabeth had convinced herself that Cameron would get better. That she would have her husband whole again, and that their son would have the benefit of growing up with a father. Even while she held his hand during his last breath, she had denied it all. Now, she could deny no more.

Standing by the car, Frank Mitchell waited patiently for Elizabeth. He, along with many others, had tried to talk her out of staying by the grave during the actual burial but she would not be swayed. Now, as he saw her shoulders shake with the tears that she had kept in during the ceremony his heart ached. He ached for himself and Cam's mother, for his now fatherless grandchild James, and for his brave daughter-in-law. Brave. What a good word to describe her. Cameron himself had called her fearless in their last talk with one another. A day before his death, Cameron had asked to speak to his dad alone. Frank still remembered everything Cam had told him. The main thing Cameron had wanted to say was about Elizabeth.

_"She'll act like she doesn't need to be taken care of," Cam had said. "But that's just a lie. Elizabeth is fearless, no doubt, but this…this is just too hard for anyone to go it alone."_

_"Elizabeth won't be alone, son." Frank had hurried to assure him. "She'll have us."_

_Reaching out for his father's hand, Cam shook his head slightly. "Elizabeth needs more that that. She needs a mate, someone who can fill in my spot." Gripping Frank's hand to stop the words of denial that were forming on his father's lips, Cam used some of his last strength to pull Frank closer to him so he could look his father directly in the eyes. "She needs John, Dad. Give her John."_

Frank still saw Cameron in his hospital bed, saying with absolute assurity that his wife needed another man. That Elizabeth needed John Sheppard. It had taken all of his will power not to push away from Cam and declare his words crazy talk. Instead he had listened to his son talk. Had listened to Cam tell him about everything he had thought long and hard about while in his sick bed. Then, Frank had done what most would find unthinkable. He had promised his dying son that he would help find John and push him toward Elizabeth.

Water hit his face, bringing him out of his thoughts. The heavens had finally decided to unleash the rain that had been threatening all morning. It was fitting. Even the heavens were crying for his son. Opening the umbrella he had been carrying, he made his way toward Elizabeth.

"Time to go, Elizabeth." Frank said, moving the umbrella to cover her as well. "James will want you." Blinking a few times, as if to bring him into focus, Elizabeth looked at her father-in-law and immediately stood a little taller.

"Yes, we should go." Elizabeth said and then turned on her heel and hurried toward the car, not seeming to care that she was getting soaked or that she was leaving Frank behind.

* * *

"Grandma, is my mom dying too?" Frank and Wendy Mitchell both shared startled glances at what their grandchild had just asked them while at the breakfast table.

"No, James, your mother is just fine." Wendy said.

"But she is laying in bed all the time like…like Dad was." James said softly looking down at his waffles.

Moving closer, Wendy stroked the little boy's hair. "Oh honey, your mom isn't sick like your dad was. She is just really sad right now."

"I'm going to tell her about the waffles." James jumped down from his chair and raced out of the kitchen. Elizabeth and James had been staying at the farm for several weeks. For the first few days Elizabeth had gone out of her way to be exactly her old self. She had driven James to school, had helped Wendy make dinners, and had even done some work through email. It hadn't taken long, though, for everything to stop. Oh, she would still get up and take James to school, but she would stay in her bathrobe and go right back to bed the second she got back. More time than not, it was either Frank or Wendy who would go to pick up their grandson.

"Maybe it's time I finally talk to her…" Wendy broke off as James rounded the corner followed by Elizabeth.

"I told mom that we were having Grandma's waffles and I reminded her of the rule of no eating food in our rooms. So she came!" James said running to pull out the chair next to his own.

Forcing a smile, Elizabeth hugged James and then took his offered chair. She looked haggard. Her hair, that she now ran her fingers through nervously, was in tangles. Her night gown was rumpled from being worn far too many times, and her eyes had dark circles under them as if she hadn't slept in years.

"Yes, well we better hurry so we can get you to school on time." Elizabeth said.

"It's Saturday mom." James said pushing the plate with the waffles toward her.

"Oh…oh yes, of course." Elizabeth glanced quickly at her in-laws before forcing another smile at James.

"Let me heat those up for you, Elizabeth." Wendy jumped to her feet and began bustling around the kitchen. "I was thinking that we could go to the park today. It is so nice out."

"Yeah!" James moved his chair closer to Elizabeth. "That would be fun, wouldn't it mom?"

Looking into her son's face, she could see how desperate he was for her to say yes. In that moment she knew that she could no longer stay in bed and cry. She had a son, and he needed her. Sitting a little taller in her chair, she ruffled James's hair.

"Sounds fun. I'll just go get ready."

* * *

The days pass, and Frank can see that Elizabeth is putting all of her effort into pretending that she is getting better. She no longer spends all her time in bed, and goes out of her way to do fun things with James, but her old love of life is gone. He has caught glimpses of her "dead" face before she suddenly replaces it with a huge, very unreal smile. He tries to persuade himself that there is no reason to do what Cam asked of him. That Elizabeth was getting better all on her own. But he knows. He knows that his son was right. He knows that Elizabeth is just hiding here on the family farm. Finally, he decides that it was time to send the letter that Cam had dictated before he died. That night, almost a month since Elizabeth and James had come to stay with them, Frank spoke with Wendy about the letter and what Cam wanted him to do.

"It is nonsense!" Wendy cried, pulling the bed sheets closer to her face. "No one could ever take Cameron's place. It's nonsense!" Sighing, Frank tried to reach out to his wife but she rolled to her side giving him her back.

"I promised Cam that I would send it." Frank said. Wendy did not respond. After a bit, he finally shut off the bedside lamp and sank into bed. The next day he sent the letter.

* * *

"Hey Sheppard, you've got mail!"

John looked up from talking to his co-pilot as they exited the terminal. He had just come in from Japan, and he was ready to go home and relax. Wondering who would send him a letter though the airline he made his way over to the flight desk. Seeing the return address, his heart skipped a beat. After a moment, he was able to put the letter inside his breast pocket. He wanted to rip it open and see why on earth Cameron Mitchell's father would be writing him, but he had a feeling that he would want some privacy. Telling his co-pilot that he would talk to him later, John made his way to the pilot's lounge so he could get his stuff and get the hell home.

Coming into his house, John dumped his stuff onto the floor and moved right to his chair, pulling out the letter. Staring at the return address for a bit, he nervously licked his lips and then opened the letter. It was dated almost two months ago, and it wasn't from Cameron's dad. It was from the man himself.

_Dear John,_

_Hey man! I hope this can find you. We haven't had your current address for some time now, and I can only hope that you are still with 'Atlantis Airlines'. Well this will sound really hokey, but by the time you read this I'll be dead./i_

John stopped breathing for a minute. Slumping further into the chair, he re-read the line a few times not really believing it. In fact, he was pissed that Cameron was making some crazy joke. Finally he began reading further.

_Yep, pancreatic cancer got me. We fought a good fight, but in the end…well the cancer won. But that isn't what I am writing to you about. What I do want to say is that I've known all along how you feel about Elizabeth, and she really needs you now…_

John ran his hands through his hair and then threw the letter down. Getting up, he began pacing back and forth. What the hell kind of letter was this? Deciding that he needed a beer to help him deal with this situation (he would worry about the implications of ithat/i another day) he made his way to the kitchen. His thoughts were going a mile a minute. His first instinct was to call Elizabeth right away, but after a bit he realized that he needed to finish the letter. Eyeing the paper that was on his floor, he took a few more sips of his beer and then made his way back to the living room. Picking up the letter he stared at the last line he had read. That Cam had always known how he felt about Elizabeth. It made John think about all those years ago when they were all in school. It was something that he had tried his best not to think of, but he had never really been able to stop…

_…St. Xavier's College, back in the "good old days"…_

_"Are you even listening to me John?" Elizabeth glared and then smacked John on the arm._

_"Yes! Yes, I'm listening." John rubbed his arm and forced his eyes away from the sexy blond that he had been watching move through the cafeteria line. "You were talking about how the janitors are getting a bum rush."_

_"Don't call them janitors. And yes, I find it very unfair that they are not getting the pay raise they deserve. I mean, this place would fall apart without them." Elizabeth said._

_"What am I suppose to call them if not janitors?" John asked._

_"Well, I'm not exactly sure what to call them. I just know that janitor sounds offensive somehow. I'll research later what would be the best thing to call them." Elizabeth said while rummaging in her bag, thus missing John rolling his eyes at her. "So I think we need to get a group together and go and protest at the administration building."_

_"Do I really need to tag along on another one of your crusades? You've got an activist group all your own that just lives for the chance to make signs and yell chants at 'the man'." John was again looking at the sexy blond as he said this, so he didn't see Elizabeth's face._

_"Of course you don't have to come John. I wouldn't want to interrupt your busy schedule of running after bimbos with my "crusades", as you put it." Elizabeth said, ramming books back into her bag._

_"Oh come on!" John scowled at Elizabeth. "Just last week I walked the picket line with you about how we need to use less paper…or whatever the hell it was about. I think I've put in my time."_

_"It was about the rainforests, and how this college is helping along their demise by the wanton use of paper." Elizabeth finished zipping up her backpack. "But I don't expect you to remember something like that, as it has nothing to do with football statistics."_

_"Very funny." John too was on his feet stuffing his homework back into his bag. "It is just hard, Elizabeth, to remember everything you want to protest. I mean one day it is paper, and now it is janitors."_

_"Don't call them janitors!"_

_"That is what they are called!"_

_Glaring at each other, they suddenly turned and walked as fast as they could in opposite directions, mumbling under their breaths. Not a single person in the cafeteria gave them any notice. A fight between John Sheppard and Elizabeth Weir was an almost every day occurrence at St. Xavier, and most at the small school shrugged it off. The two had met in their freshmen English class, had debated opposite issues quite heatedly, and had become best friends. They had been fighting and making up ever since._

_Making the most of her fury, Elizabeth bulldozes her way down the student center's stairs without really seeing what or who was around her. Hitting into another person, she went flying._

_"Oh man! I'm so sorry!"_

_"No, it's my fault. I should have looked where I was going." Elizabeth scrambled for her backpack and then looks up. The cutest guy she has seen in a long time was offering his hand to help her up. For a heart beat, time stood still for her. Melting into his eyes, she returned his boyish smile._

_"Well, my grandma always told me to never contradict a lady, so I will concede that it was all your fault. By the way, I'm Cameron Mitchell. My friends call me Cam." Cameron said, helping Elizabeth to her feet._

_"I'm Elizabeth Weir. And my friends call me Elizabeth, Cam." She shot back, matching his tone._

_"Yeah, I could see that. No Liz or Lizzy for you. You're too regal for that. Elizabeth suits you just fine."_

_"Too regal?" Elizabeth found herself laughing. Most guys' come-on lines made her roll her eyes and turn away, but something about Cameron Mitchell was different. "Nice line, has it ever worked?"_

_Shrugging, Cam laughed good naturedly with her. "Nah, but I keep using it. I figure it will work at some point. Hey, I'm looking for the science building. Care to help the new guy out?"_

_"Sure, I'm heading there myself." Elizabeth said while Cam fell in step with her. "So you're a freshman?"_

_"Sure am. I did four years with Uncle Sam after high school, and now my time is finally my own, so college here I come."_

_"What branch of the military were you in?"_

_"Air Force."_

_"The air force, really? You need to talk to John. He wants to become a fighter pilot for the air force." Elizabeth said, and then stared in wonder at Cam's mock horror at what she had just said._

_Throwing his hand to his heart, Cam groaned. "I should have known that there would be another for me to contend with for your fair heart."_

_Feeling the heat rise up her cheeks, it took her a while to finally understand what he meant. "You mean John? Oh no! We are just really good friends. He isn't contending with you…I mean… we aren't together." Elizabeth finished lamely and wanted to curse when her cheeks grew warmer. She usually had completely control of a situation, but Cam seemed to throw her off her game._

_"Wonderful! I don't have to go and cry myself to sleep tonight." Cam said, giving Elizabeth a wink._

_Laughing at his antics, Elizabeth shook her head. Cameron Mitchell sure was something. A bit corny, but it seemed to work for him. He had a confidence about himself that was very refreshing. "Come on. We better get to the science building."_

_As the two walked toward the concrete building, Elizabeth laughed more than she had in ages. She found herself telling him all about the rally that she was trying to get together for that night and he agreed whole heartedly to be there. Sign a-waving._

_

* * *

_

_When John rounded the corner to where he knew the activist group would be making their signs, he was shocked to see Elizabeth and some unknown guy running around trying to paint on each other. Plus, Elizabeth was giggling. Giggling! He had never heard Elizabeth Weir giggle- ever. Narrowing his eyes, he decided that he didn't like the unknown guy who was now holding his arms up in surrender as Elizabeth dabbed his nose with blue paint._

_"John, you came!" Elizabeth called to him as he made his way toward the group. As he got closer she hit him with a megawatt smile._

_"Don't I always come to your rallies?" He gave her a quick smile and then concentrated on the unknown guy._

_"Hi, I'm Cameron Mitchell." Cam said. "Elizabeth was sure that you weren't going to show. She said you wouldn't want to protest about better wages for the college's industrial personnel._

_"Industrial personnel?" John asked. Not liking the way Elizabeth was smiling up at this Cameron Mitchell guy._

_"Cam came up with the name." Elizabeth said. "It sounds a lot better than janitor, doesn't it?"_

_"Yeah, sure." John leaned back on his heels, with his hands in his pockets. Cameron seemed to know exactly what he was thinking, because he smirked a little before heading back to his own sign. Now he was sure, that he didn't like Cameron Mitchell..._

* * *

Coming back to present day, John shook his head at the memories. That day was the day that everything changed. He had watched as Cam and Elizabeth became closer and closer. It had taken almost four years of college and another guy for him to realize that he was completely in love with Elizabeth. But by then it had been too late. Elizabeth was head over heels in love with Cameron, and John was relegated to the role of best friend for life. After their wedding, John had joined the Air Force and happily put distance between him and them. Then, like many ex-Air Force pilots, moved onto being an airline pilot.

Taking another sip of beer, John moved to his bedroom. Digging in his closet he finally pulled out an old box that he hadn't looked at in years. It was his "Elizabeth Box". (Yes, he knew how lame that sounded) Inside were old pictures as well as the letters that Elizabeth had continued to write him long after he had stopped writing her. The last letter she had written to him, before he changed his address and was jerk enough to not tell her about it, was the one informing him of their son's birth. Sighing, John rubbed his forehead. He had been such a horrible friend for years. It had just been so hard to read about the Mitchells' happy life together in Podunk, Kansas. Kansas for pity sake! Elizabeth was going to be a top dog in Washington. It had been the only thing she talked about while they were in school, but then decided to chuck it all and teach farm kids at Kansas State University. Pawing through the photos, John knew that he wasn't being fair. He remembered how happy all her letters had been. Elizabeth hadn't minded a bit with the change in plans. And when John was honest with himself he knew that his anger was more jealousy that Cam inspired such devotion and love from Elizabeth.

With a snort, John saluted the letter with his beer bottle. "And you think I can just swoop in and make your wife fall in love with me, huh?" Downing the last of his beer, John continued to look at the photos he hadn't seen in years. He knew that he should really just stay with his current life. Stay with dating women that he knew wouldn't make their way into his heart. Resting his head on the wall behind him, John admitted to himself that he wasn't going to be smart about this. He knew that he was going to go to Podunk, Kansas and see Elizabeth again


	2. Chapter 2

"Hmm, well I guess you better come in."

Feeling very ill at ease, John followed Frank Mitchell into the house. He had arrived at Manhattan Regional Airport about two hours ago, and had been driving around trying to find the farm since then. The Mitchell farm was not that far from Manhattan, Kansas but all the wheat fields looked the same which caused John to have to backtrack more than a few times.

"Well…" John started to try and say something, anything really, but stopped. What did you say to a man who lost his son and now you were here to try and get that same son's widow to "live life again" as Cameron had put it in his letter.

"Cam told me, before he died, that he was sad that he came between you and Elizabeth's friendship. He felt that eventually the two of you would have realised that you…well that you loved each other." Frank said, not really meeting John's eyes.

Clearing his throat, John racked his brain on what to say to a statement like that. "Well-"

"I guess we should get on over to Elizabeth's house. She and James finally went back home a few days ago." Frank cut in. Giving John the impression that he didn't much want to hear anything from him right at this moment. And that was fine by him. "I've decided to tell her that I tracked you down so that I could tell you about Cam's death. Knowing how you used to be such good friends and all."

"Okay." John said and then followed Frank out the door. He was very happy that he had his own car to drive, he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle any more alone time with Cam's dad. Besides, he was sweating bullets just thinking about seeing Elizabeth again. What was he supposed to say to her? 'So sorry that I've been a jackass for all these years…but here I am now.' Or maybe he could go with 'I'm here to help you live life again and oh yeah, it is okay with your dead husband that we do this.' He was sure that either of those would go over big. Also, there was the thought deep in the back of his head that this was going to blow up, big time, in everyone's faces. Eventually Elizabeth would need to be told about Cam's letter, and John was pretty sure that Elizabeth would spew fire at them for it. But like a big dummy he still was going to do it.

After about a thirty minute drive, they came to rest at a nice little home in the suburbs. John almost laughed at the perfect little white picket fences that surrounded most of the homes. He had entered Mayberry. Deciding that he would let Frank talk to Elizabeth first, John waited in the car with his eyes locked on the front door. Part of him wanted to slam on the gas and get the hell out of Dodge, but he had already done that and it hadn't made him happy. Even if Elizabeth tossed him out on his ear, it would still be worth it just to see her again.

"Grandpa!"

John was shocked to see a minature Cameron Mitchell open the front door and throw himself into Frank's arms. His throat dry, John waited for his first glance of Elizabeth. Finally, she came to the door with a smile for Cam's dad. John felt paralysed. She was beautiful. Seeing Frank make some gestures toward his car, he took a deep breath and then opened the door. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he leaned against the car not sure if he should approach yet or not.

"John?" Elizabeth started down her driveway. "Oh my… John?"

Meeting her halfway, John gave her a sheepish smile. "Hi Elizabeth." Suddenly, she was hugging him. A bit taken aback, it took him a minute to process everything. Wrapping his own arms around her, he felt like he had come home. It was hard for him to let her go when she finally pulled away from him.

"Where have you been? I mean, why did you stop writing? How did you even find him Frank?" Elizabeth didn't wait for any answers, but instead gave John one last quick hug and then motioned her son over. "James, this is John Sheppard. He was my best friend in college."

"Did you know my dad too?" James asked.

John saw the pained expresson on Elizabeth's face at the mention of Cam, before she covered it up. "I sure did." Leaning down to be more on James's level, John took out a small bag from his pocket. "How would you like some offcial Atlantis Airline pilot wings?"

"Wow, cool!" James's face lit up as he ripped open the bag. Standing back up he met Elizabeth's smiling face and wished that she could be won by simple things like pin on wings. "Grandpa, do you see these pilot wings?"

Elizabeth watched James run over to Frank, and then moved closer to John. "Is that how Frank found you? Through the airline?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, John sighed. "Yeah, about that…I'm sorry that I let us lose touch. I know that I've been a pretty awful friend."

"It happens," Elizabeth waved her hand. "I mean, we both had lives to lead. But it would have been nice to at least get your new address when you moved. We could have sent Christmas cards to each other, like you do to all your other friends that you never talk to."

John knew that she was covering it well, but that Elizabeth was hurt. It made him feel like an even bigger heel, seeing her bravely try and brush off his ignoring of their friendship. Looking to where Frank was pinning the wings on James'shirt, John motioned toward the boy. "He looks like he can give you a run for your money."

"He sure can. But it's good, James keeps me on my toes" Elizabeth laughed, "Every day he gets into mischief. He's like Cam in that way." Going still, Elizabeth glanced away.

"He looks a lot like Cam too." John said after an awkward pause. He figured they had to talk about it some time, so he steamrolled on. "I'm really sorry about Cam, Elizabeth."

"Thank you." Elizabeth mumbled, not meeting his eyes. "So where are you staying?" Elizabeth asked.

John let the change in subject pass. "I hadn't really thought about it. I was in such a hurry to get here, that I didn't really make any plans. What hotel is close?"

"Oh please, we have plenty of room here. You can stay in the guest room." Elizabeth started walking to his car to get his bags. "How long is the visit?"

"As long as it takes." John whispered before going to help Elizabeth lift out his suitcase.

* * *

Elizabeth woke to sun streaming through her window. Stretching, she got up and wrapped her robe around her. It had been a wonderfully strange night. John showing up out of the blue had been such a surprise. Then again, this was just like him. He would always come to her rescue. In school he would complain about every single one of her "silly crusades", but would turn up and hold a sign even when it was only the two of them doing it. He might have been out of her life for a few years, but when it counted he came to her side. He really was her best friend.

Hearing noises coming from the living room, Elizabeth made her way down the hall. She had to smile when she found James and John both on the floor playing with toy army figurines. She saw that James still had his wings pinned to his pyjamas. He hadn't wanted to take them off when she had put him to bed.

"Get ready men!" James cried in a deep voice. "The enemy is coming!" Moving some figures around, James shouted out some more instructions with John chiming in from his own battalion.

The two were so involved in what they were doing, they didn't even see Elizabeth. Grabbing a pillow from the couch, she lobbed it at their figures. "Sneak attack from behind!"

"Oh no!" James laughed as he turned to his mother. "We were out manuvered men!"

"Your mother was always sneaky like that." John smiled at Elizabeth's raised eye-brow. "If we would have had her on our staff during Desert Storm, things would have been tied up nice and tight."

"If I would have been on the Air Force staff during Desert Strom, I would have made both parties see reason." Elizabeth collected the pillow she had thrown. "So are the troops ready for breakfast?"

"Yes Ma'am." James gave her a funny little salute and then ran for the kitchen.

"You probably iwould/i have made everyone see reason." John began scooping up the toy soldiers and dumping them back into a tin can. "And if not, there would have been one hell of a picket line with really colorful signs I'm sure."

"Ha, ha." Elizabeth began straightening up the mess that the two had made during their "campaign". "So were you trying to conquer all of Asia before I dive bombed you?"

"According to James we were fighting to save Earth from life-sucking aliens." John stood, handing her the tin can. Briefly their fingers met. That light touch made John's heart race. He could swear that Elizabeth's eyes flickered with that same awareness before she pushed it away.

"It was really nice of you to play with him." Elizabeth said.

"He's a great kid. I had as much fun as he did." John said as he followed Elizabeth into the kitchen.

"Can we have eggs and bacon today?" James asked as he was setting the table.

"Wow, and he sets the table without being asked. What more could a mother want?" John asked.

"That's my job. I always set the table." James said, placing a cup at each plate. "If you're going to stay long, you'll need a job too."

Laughing, Elizabeth started getting out the frying pan. "That's right, John. No one gets a free ride at this house. How long do we have the pleasure of your company anyway? You never told me last night."

"Well, I take a three week vacation every year during the summer. But I'm sure you don't want me to be in your hair for that long." John took the silverware from James and began placing it around the table. "I know that you probably have classes."

"Actually, I'm not teaching summer classes this year. I decided that I wanted to spend all my time with James while he is out of school." Elizabeth threw some eggs in and then popped bread into the toaster. "And you can stay as long as you want. I haven't seen you in years. A few weeks won't even get us all caught up." Turning back to her frying pan, Elizabeth wondered why she just told him that. Three weeks was a long time to have a guest, but truthfully even after not seeing him for years she felt exteremly comfortable around him.

"You can sit here, John." James ran to pull out a chair. "It was where my dad always sat."

John glanced at Elizabeth. A slight frown formed on her lips, but she didn't say anything. "I like being over by the window, buddy," John said, moving to the fourth chair that he was sure had really never been used by the family.

* * *

"I don't like this one bit, Frank." Wendy Mitchell glared out the window of the farm house. Elizabeth and John were both holding James' hands as they walked toward the barn. John had been staying with Elizabeth almost a week, and the two had become closer and closer.

"Elizabeth hasn't been this happy for months now." Frank said from his recliner. "John has been good for her. And James is having a ball."

"Well, they shouldn't be!" Wendy turned away from the window. "It should be hard for them! Hard is what happens when you lose a husband and father! One fly-boy who hasn't even contacted his so called best friend, should not be able to just show up and make his move!"

Frank put down his magazine. "Wendy, this is what Cam wanted. Would you rather that Elizabeth waste away and pine after a man who is not coming back? In the few days that John has been here, Elizabeth has laughed and smiled more than since Cam was diagnosed with cancer. You would really take that away from her?" Glaring at him for a beat, she walked passed him to the hallway without saying anything.

* * *

"I'm going to go see if Nate can come over and swim." James called through the sliding class door.

"That's fine." Elizabeth said from her deck chair. When she and Cam had bought the house, he had been thrilled by the pool. At first Elizabeth could only think about the time and energy it took to keep up a backyard pool, but soon she had fallen in love with having one too.

"I bet he is a fish during the summer." John said as he came out of the house and took a seat next to her.

"Definitely. Cameron enrolled him in swimming lessons before he could even walk." Elizabeth said and then went back to her book.

John had noticed that it was getting easier for Elizabeth to talk about Cam. They had stayed up late last night laughing about college stories, and she had shared a few about their first couple of years of marriage. It seemed that talking of him was becoming less of a taboo.

"You know, since I've been here you've never been in the pool." John said.

Elizabeth looked up from her book, and saw an evil glint in John's eyes. "Oh no you don't John Sheppard!" Coming to her feet when he did, she began backing away to make a run for the door.

"Come on, Elizabeth. Have some fun."

"Getting dumped into a pool, when you are not wearing a swimming suit is not fun." Elizabeth edged away as he came closer.

"Says who?" John asked, before grabbing her and hauling her toward the pool's edge.

Elizabeth was shocked when she started giggling. She hadn't giggled since she was a school girl. Trying to brace herself she turned and wrapped her arms around John. "Fine Sheppard. If I'm going in, so are you!" Falling back, she used all of her body weight to unbalance him. Together they fell into the pool with a huge splash. Sputtering, they both came up for air. Elizabeth splashed John's face and then swam away.

"Hey!" John swam after Elizabeth who was making her way to the shallow end. Grabbing her foot, he pulled her back right before she could make it up the stairs. Laughing, they both sank to the bottom step to catch their breath.

"I must look a fright." Elizabeth laughed as she tried to push her wet hair out of her face.

"You look beautiful as always." John said softly. The fell silent as they looked at each other. John moved closer, and time seemed to stand still as they leaned into each other. John brought up his hand to brush some of her hair out of her face, and Elizabeth suddenly jerked back. Breathing heavily, she jumped out of the pool.

"I better go and see what is taking James so long. Nate only lives next door." Dripping wet, Elizabeth practically ran for the door.

* * *

Elizabeth sighed as she walked down the frozen food aisle. James and John were off at the video section trying to decide what movie to rent. John had been staying with them for over two weeks, but it seemed like he had been with them forever. Sometimes she felt so close to John that it scared her. Especially because there had been several more "almost kisses" since the time in the pool. John never pushed, but she was also sure that he wanted to kiss her almost as bad as she was beginning to want to kiss him. Elizabeth wondered what was wrong with her. Her husband had only been gone for a few months, yet she was wanting to kiss another guy? There was probably a special place in hell for stuff like this. Plus, it was John. Since when had she had these types of feelings for him? It was all too confusing.

"We decided on "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".' James said, putting the movie in the shopping cart.

"James wanted "Nightmare on Elm Street" but I talked him out of it." John said, ruffling James' hair.

"Very wise decision." Elizabeth smiled at the two of them as James dragged John over to the candy slots. John had been a godsend for James. Not that John could ever replace Cam, but the little boy needed another man in his life. James had stopped looking so concered for her, and started behaving like a young kid again. It was something else to be thankful for in regards to John Sheppard. But at the same time, Elizabeth worried about when John had to go back to his own life It would be hard, for James, to say goodbye to John. And if she was truthful with herself, she was going to find it hard to say goodbye to John too. Sighing, Elizabeth acknowledged again that everything was confusing.

* * *

"I need to speak with you."

Elizabeth looked away from the window where whe was watching John and James throw a football around and smiled at Wendy. "Sure, what's up?"

Nervously, Wendy smoothed out a piece of paper as she sat down across from Elizabeth. "I can't keep silent any longer."

"You're worrying me, Wendy, what's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.

"Frank found John because Cameron wanted him to. I guess Cam, the day before he died, had a talk with his father and he dictated this letter. It was for John." Wendy rushed her words, like she was afraid she wouldn't be able to get them all out in time. "Frank kept a copy of it. I think you should read it. I thought you should know the real reason John Sheppard came back into your life." With that, she slid the paper over to Elizabeth and then left the room.

When John came in to see what Elizabeth was doing, he knew immediately that something was wrong. She was sitting in one of the kitchen chairs staring at the wall. "Elizabeth?"

"So was it pity, John? Pity that I wouldn't be able to…how did Cam say it again…live life?" Elizabeth asked, not looking at him.

Shocked, John came around the table and saw that Elizabeth was clutching a piece of paper. He could only assume it was a copy of Cam's letter. "It wasn't like that, Elizabeth."

"So what was it like, John?" Elizabeth stood up and began pacing. "I should have known. You haven't taken the time for years to even say hi, yet you drop everything to come and rescue me? What? Did Cam's letter finally make you feel bad enough for ignoring me that you decided to come and make me all better?"

"No. It wasn't anything like that." John jumped in. "I came because the letter gave me hope. Hope for something that I thought I would never be able to have. You wonder why I haven't taken the time to say hi for years? It's because it was too painful. It was too painful to listen to all the good times you were having with Cameron, because I wanted to be the one to have the good times with you." Elizabeth had stopped in her tracks and was staring at John. He moved closer to her and took her hand. "I've loved you since the first time you argued with me in English class freshman year. But by the time I figured all of that out, you were already in love with Cameron Mitchell."

Elizabeth pulled away, as tears began to streak down her cheeks. "No…you…"

"Yes, Elizabeth." John again moved closer to her. "I love you."

Pushing past him, Elizabeth ran out the back door. "We need to go now, James." Elizabeth grabbed her purse and started hearding her son to the car.

"Elizabeth wait." John followed after her.

Elizabeth turned as James, a confused look on his face, got into the car. "You need to leave John." Getting into the car, Elizabeth gave John one last tearful look and then drove away.

* * *

"You and your damn letter!" Elizabeth scowled at the picture of Cameron by her bedside. She had just finished crying which left her with a headache, but was no closer to knowing what to do. Slowly her eyes closed, and she was asleep.

_"I love you Elizabeth." Cameron Mitchell walked into the room, and suddenly they were transported to a beautiful Swiss country side. Walking among the flowers, Elizabeth tried to remember why she was mad with her husband. Oh yeah, he was dead._

_"If you love me, why did you leave me?" Elizabeth asked, when Cam swept her into his arms, and a waltz began to play. Humming, as they glided along, Cam didn't say anything. It felt so good to be in his arms again and Elizabeth held on with all her might. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Elizabeth knew that this was a dream but she didn't want it to stop._

_"Life is life. Not much we can do to stop it." Cameron finally spoke, spinning her around. "I didn't want to leave, but it wasn't up to me."_

_"Things have just gotten so hard." Elizabeth again wrapped her arms around him as they swayed to the music._

_"But they got better with John." Cam said, holding Elizabeth close as she tried to pull away. "John loves you. Always has, always will."_

_"But I love you!" Elizabeth cried._

_"Yes, but you love John too. Probably for about as long as he's loved you. I just got in the way." Cam said, and then shushed her when she tried to deny it. "Love is just a deeper form of friendship. We had it, and you can have it again just this time with John."_

_Something was pulling Cam away from her. Crying out, she tried to hold onto him. "Cam, wait!"_

_"I love you Elizabeth, but you've got to let me go"_

Jerking awake, Elizabeth felt her face. It was wet with her tears. Sliding over to her bedside table, she clicked on the lamp. Pulling out the letter, she began to read it again.


	3. Chapter 3

"I need to speak with you."

Frank moved away from the door to let Elizabeth and James in. Calling for Wendy, he led everyone into the living room. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Elizabeth."

"I know Frank, but it would have been nice if you would have told me about Cam's letter. But that is not why I am here right now." Elizabeth sent James to go play in the toy room that Frank and Wendy kept for him. "I want to know…how you would feel if John was in my life."

"It's why I found him," Frank spread out his hands. "I've seen how good John is for you. And for James-"

"No!" Wendy cut in as she came to her feet. "I don't understand any of you! Cameron has been gone for less than five months, and you two want to replace him? Want to find a new father for James?"

"No one can replace Cam, Wendy…" Elizabeth began, but Wendy was done listening. A tiny sob escaping her lips, she turned and walked out of the living room.

"She's right." Elizabeth said after a pause, as she rubbed her forehead.

"No she's not." Frank slid closer to Elizabeth on the couch and took her hand. "Now, I love my wife, and most times I defer to her in matters pertaining to relationships, but this time she is dead wrong. She is letting her own pain about Cam cloud her judgment. I also think that she is scared that you and James are going to move away from us."

"So you're okay with all of this? What if we do move away? John's base is in San Diego. If things progress…I'm not sure where we would end up." Elizabeth searched Frank's face.

With a sigh, Frank rubbed his chin. "Well, I would sure miss you if the two of you left, but you forget that I was there when Cam dictated that letter for John. My son and I had a long discussion, and by the end of it I was ready to move heaven and Earth to find him. Maybe if Wendy had been there, she wouldn't find this so hard. Besides, I've seen the remarkable change in you. Before John got here, you acted like tiny little robots had taken over your body. Like you were dying, and didn't even know it. John Sheppard pulled you out of it. He made you live again. I'm not the type of person to take that away from someone, and I won't take that away from you because I love my son and want you to die with his memory."

Smiling through the tears, Elizabeth reached again for Frank's hands. "You are truly the best father-in-law a woman can have."

* * *

"Grandma? Are you okay, Grandma?" James peeked into his grandparent's room and then walked over to where she was sitting on the bed. Gently sitting down next to her, he patted her shoulder. "Is it because John likes my mom?"

Wendy wiped her eyes and then stared at her grandson. "Who told you about that?"

Shrugging, James leaned into her. "I heard him tell her yesterday, but I kind of already knew about it. After John came things started to be like when my dad was alive. Things were fun again, plus he would look at her the way my dad had always looked at her, all goofy." James rolled his eyes, as if he couldn't believe that a guy would look at a girl like that.

Shocked at how much her grandson paid attention, Wendy hugged him closer to her. "I'm sorry if this upset you-"

"Nope," James pulled away with a shake of his head, "I'm happy that mom started laughing again. She had tried hard to pretend, but I always knew she wasn't really getting better. I would hear her cry at night. Since John came she hasn't cried, well until last night when he left."

"But, honey, what about your father?" Wendy asked when James moved to the floor to play with the car that he had brought in.

"I know that he is in heaven looking down at us." James said with an assurance that only a child can have. "He's happy that John came. If he wasn't, I'm sure he would have God send a lightning bolt or something." Stopping, he looked at Wendy with the big blue eyes that reminded her so much of Cameron. "My dad loved us. He would want us to be a happy family again." Giving her a crooked smile and a quick hug, he ran out of the room.

Wendy sat for a long while contemplating what her grandson had just said. Pulling out the drawer of her bedside table, she brought out the picture of Cameron from when he was in the Air Force. She always loved seeing him in his dress blues. Trailing her finger along the glass, she felt a tear slide down her cheek.

"Do you think you might want to read the letter now?" The bed dipped as Frank sat down next to her. Handing her the letter, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, she put the picture frame down, and then began opening the letter that Elizabeth had just given back to them.

* * *

"What you doing?" Elizabeth entered the playroom and then sank down to the floor next to her son.

"Building a stronghold for the men who are fighting the evil aliens." James said, as he moved more figurines around.

"How are you doing with that? Are the good guys winning?"

"They are trying, but they recently lost their leader and the new one is making lots of mistakes."

Elizabeth smiled at her son's imagination. Helping him place a few figures, she finally decided to broach the subject that she had come in here to talk about with him. "James, you know how John has been spending a lot of time with us?"

"Yeah, I like him."

"Good. How would you feel if he was around all the time?"

"You mean, like if he lived with us?" James stopped what he was doing and stared at his mom. After she shook her head, a big smile formed on his face. "That would be so cool! Then we would both be happy all the time."

"Well, I guess we will have to see what John thinks about it." Elizabeth said, starting to feel a bit panicked now that she was coming so close to an actual decision.

"We will have to catch him quick." James came to his feet and started toward the door. "Last night when he came for his suitcase, and you went to your room after letting him in, he told me that he was going to fly out today."

"I don't know if we should rush out now. I have his phone number, it might be best to call-"

"Go now, Elizabeth." Wendy was standing in the doorway, wiping at tears running down her face. "If you don't go now, you will regret it!" Walking to Wendy, Elizabeth took her hand and searched for the approval on her face that she needed. Cam's mom gave a little laugh, and pulled her in for a hug. "That man loves you! You would be a bigger fool than me, if you let that pass you by!"

Returning the hug with a big one of her own, Elizabeth turned back to James who was smiling. "Ready to go get John?"

* * *

"We have a hold, flight 112," John rolled his eyes at the voice on his headphones.

"What is the problem now, tower?" He had been trying to get out of the airport for almost two hours. He was flying a Cessna to the bigger airport in Kansas City, and then going to try and hop a flight home to San Diego from there.

"Security has just come up with a problem."

"What type of problem?" John was starting to get annoyed. This is why he hated small airports. Everything was so laid back, that nothing really ran on time. Then suddenly some bozo airport security guard would come up with something that he thought was suspicious. Silence. Tapping his headphones, John tried again. "What is the problem, tower?"

"John?"

His heart skipped a beat, as a smooth feminine voice came on the radio. He thought that he must be hearing things. "Elizabeth?"

Suddenly a young voice echoed from the background. "Tell him that we want him to stay, mom."

"John we, I want you to stay."

John thought his heart was going to burst open. It was pounding so hard in his chest that he could hardly think. Radioing for the ground crew to bring the portable steps, he rushed through the procedures to turn off the plane. Opening the hatch, he stared with amazement as Elizabeth and James were standing on the tarmac. Coming to the bottom of the stairs, he stopped. He didn't really know what to do. Suddenly, Elizabeth put James hand into the security guy who was with them, and came running toward him. They met halfway, and fell into one another embrace.

"Oh John, please don't go. I was wrong, I was wrong about everything." Elizabeth pulled back. "I can't bear to lose you again. Not after just getting you back into my life." Before he could say anything, she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and brought his head down for a kiss. Wrapping his own arms around her, John threaded his fingers through her hair and took over. This kiss was something he had dreamed about for years. It was as if the whole world dissolved away, and it was only them trying to merge their two bodies into one.

"People can see you!" James shouted from his spot on the side of the tarmac, breaking the effect.

Pulling away from each other, they both gave a little embarrassed laugh. Licking his lips, John looked from Elizabeth to James. "Are you sure about this?"

Taking his hand into hers, she started moving toward James. "Oh yes. We are both sure. Although James says that he is only okay with it if you buy him a car when he turns sixteen."

"Wow, the kid has come up in the whole bribing game. I was able to buy him off with plastic wings just a few short weeks ago." John laughed, and then let go of Elizabeth's hand to catch James as he came flying towards them.

"Wow! Can you really fly that thing?" James asked pointing over John's shoulder at the Cessna.

"John can fly anything." Elizabeth chimed in as the security guard let them back into the terminal. "Flying is in his genes."

Moving James to his other side, John wrapped his free arm around Elizabeth. "Flying might be in my genes, but you are in my heart." They looked at each other for a beat, before Elizabeth snorted with laughter.

"That is such a cheesy line, John Sheppard!" Elizabeth said, and then leaned into his side. "Good thing I still like you." And just like that John found himself with the family that he had only ever dreamed about.

"I think I just might be the luckiest man alive." John said, as they all made their way out of the airport.

* * *

"Hey Cam," John ran his hand through his hair, and then shoved his hands into his coat pocket. He was standing in front of Cameron Mitchell's headstone, feeling like an idiot. "I'm not good at this sort of thing. I guess I am just here to say, thank you. Thank you for bringing Elizabeth and me together. I'm not sure I would have done the same, if I were in your shoes. Well, I guess we know who the better guy is." John broke off and stared into the blue sky. It was a Kansas sky that went on forever. "Can you believe that I am going to live in Podunk, Kansas? I'm going to fly lame commuter planes between Manhattan and Kansas City." Shaking his head at that, John again focused on Cam's name. "I promise to take care of them. And to always remind James about what a good man his father was. I'll make things up, so you look good. Scouts honor." John held up his hand. John placed the flowers that he had brought with him in the little vase that Elizabeth had had built into the headstone. "Well, bye Cam." Walking toward the car, John could see a rainbow in the distance. Glancing over his shoulder at the grave, John shook his head with a smile and then climbed into the car. "You always did need to have the last word, Mitchell." Starting the car, John let out a content sigh. It was the beginning of a new life. The time of Elizabeth and John had come at last.


End file.
